Mapping human mobility during the third and second millennia BC in present-day Denmark

Frei, Karin Margarita; Bergerbrant, Sophie; Sjögren, Karl-Göran; Jørkov, Marie Louise; Lynnerup, Niels; Harvig, Lise; Allentoft, Morten E.; Sikora, Martin; Price, T. Douglas; Kristiansen, Kristian

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219850

Cited by 48 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…In Denmark, 14C dates from burials in gallery graves suggest a use time between 2200 and 1600 cal BC (Frei et al 2019: Table 1; Fig. A8), and the few available 14C dates from Norwegian gallery graves indicate a similar burial sequence (Østmo 2011; Fig.…”

Section: Regional Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Old bones or early graves? Megalithic burial sequences in southern Sweden based on 14C datings

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Sjögren

Storå

2020

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Megalithic tombs have since long been a focus of debate within the archaeological research field, not least regarding their emergence, use life and the various bursts of building activity in different regions and periods. The aim of this study is to investigate the temporal span of the main burial sequences in the conventional megalithic grave types of southern Sweden, with special focus on the less studied gallery graves. In Scandinavia, megalithic tombs are divided into three main types: dolmens, passage graves and gallery graves. Here, this prevailing typological seriation was tested. The study was based on 374 14C dates from unique individuals selected from 66 tombs. The form, layout and dating of the different types of tombs were studied in order to examine regional and chronological variation in the use of megaliths. By comparing sum plots, KDE models, individual 14C dates and typology of artefacts, the existing chronologies were evaluated. The 14C dates from dolmens and passage graves more or less agreed with the conventional chronology, while the presence of early skeletons in gallery graves was unexpected. The results indicate that megalithic graves appeared more or less simultaneously in southern Sweden and were first used around 3500-3300 cal BC. The dolmens and passage graves were used contemporaneously, although the proportion of early dates supports a slightly earlier start of the dolmens. Some of the gallery graves may also have been introduced at this time, although reburial of old bones cannot be ruled out.

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Section: Regional Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Old bones or early graves? Megalithic burial sequences in southern Sweden based on 14C datings

Blank

Sjögren

Storå

2020

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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“…The Danish Jutland peninsula, in which Limfjord is situated, obtained a prominent position in the trading network from around the beginning of the Early Bronze Age (between 1700-1600 BC) onwards, probably due to the trade of metal and amber (Kristiansen 1987;Kristiansen and Larsson 2005;Nørgaard et al, 2019). Human mobility during the Nordic Bronze Age has also been illustrated by Frei et al (2019) who observed a change in human mobility patterns from around 1600 BC. This change, which seems to have occurred during the transition period at the beginning of the Nordic Bronze Age, a time when society flourished, expanded and experienced an unprecedented economic growth, suggests that trade and human mobility might have been closely related.…”

Section: Movement Of People In Danish Prehistorymentioning

confidence: 89%

“…However, recent investigations suggest that the distribution of Bell Beaker communities was spread out over Europe in seemingly isolated islands, although similarities in their material culture suggest that a degree of human mobility was involved (Vander Linden 2015). More recently, Frei et al (2019) analysed strontium isotope ratios on human remains of 88 individuals from Denmark in order to investigate the degree of mobility across the Neolithic-Bronze Age transition. Four of these 88 individuals with radiocarbon ages dating to the Neolithic were excavated from the Limfjord area (2x Sejerslev, Dommergården and Sebber skole).…”

Section: Movement Of People In Danish Prehistorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the Bronze Age the emergence of a supra-regional network which connected faraway regions, is evident in southern Scandinavia and northern Germany (Price et al, 2017;Bergerbrant et al, 2017;Frei et al, 2015a;Frei et al, 2017;Frei et al, 2019). During this period, mo-bility seems to have involved warriors (Price et al, 2017), commoners (Bergerbrant et al, 2017) and even elite females (Frei et al, 2015a;Frei et al, 2017).…”

Section: Movement Of People In Danish Prehistorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Scandinavia, recent investigations also address aspects of palaeomobility in Prehistoric Scandinavia from the Mesolithic to the Viking Age e.g. (Sjögren et al, 2009;Frei et al, 2015a;Frei et al, 2015b;Price et al, 2011;Harvig et al, 2014;Bergerbrant et al, 2017;Eriksson et al, Mobility and diet in Prehistoric Denmark: strontium isotope analysis and incremental stable isotope analysis of human remains from the Limfjord area 2018; Frei et al, 2019). From within Scandinavia, Denmark has yielded the highest number of strontium isotope investigations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mobility and diet in Prehistoric Denmark: strontium isotope analysis and incremental stable isotope analysis of human remains from the Limfjord area

Sluis

Daly

Frei

et al. 2020

DJA

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The Limfjord in Denmark held a prominent position throughout Prehistory as a natural communication port between east and west. Identifying the presence of non-local individuals might shed light on socio-economic and cultural changes occurring in the Limfjord area. Existing studies attempting to do so using strontium isotope analysis on Danish prehistoric remains focus on certain archaeological time periods and geographic locations, resulting in an uneven distribution of analysed material. This study aimed at filling a gap in the existing literature, both from a geographical as well as a chronological point of view. Additionally, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis on bone and tooth dentine from these individuals was carried out to examine dietary changes between childhood and adulthood. The strontium isotope results revealed four non-local individuals, two from the Neolithic, one from the Early Roman Iron Age and one from the Germanic Iron/Viking Age. We conducted incremental stable isotope analysis of tooth dentine from the four non-local individuals to investigate the palaeodietary information in their dental records at a higher resolution and potentially pinpoint their age at the time of movement. The two Neolithic individuals revealed stable isotope ratios that might be indicative of stress.

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Predicting skeletal stature using ancient DNA

Cox

Moots

Stock

et al. 2021

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Objectives: Ancient DNA provides an opportunity to separate the genetic and environmental bases of complex traits by allowing direct estimation of genetic values in ancient individuals. Here, we test whether genetic scores for height in ancient individuals are predictive of their actual height, as inferred from skeletal remains. We estimate the contributions of genetic and environmental variables to observed phenotypic variation as a first step towards quantifying individual sources of morphological variation. Materials and methods:We collected stature estimates and femur lengths from West Eurasian skeletal remains with published genome-wide ancient DNA data (n = 182, dating from 33,000-850 BP). We also recorded genetic sex, genetic ancestry, date and paleoclimate data for each individual, and δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope values where available (n = 69). We tested different methods of calculating polygenic scores, using summary statistics from four different genome wide association studies (GWAS) for height, and three methods for imputing missing genotypes.Results: A polygenic score for height predicts 6.3% of the variance in femur length in our data (n = 132, SD = 0.0069%, p = 0.001), controlling for sex, ancestry, and date. This is consistent with the predictive power of height PRS in present-day populations and the low coverage of ancient samples. Comparatively, sex explains about 17% of the variance in femur length in our sample. Environmental effects also likely play a role in variation, independent of genetics, though with considerable uncertainty (longitude: R 2 = 0.033, SD = 0.008, p = 0.011). Genotype imputation did not improve polygenic prediction, and results varied based on the GWAS summary statistics we used.Discussion: Polygenic scores explain a small but significant proportion of the variance in height in ancient individuals, though not enough to make useful predictions of individual phenotypes. However, environmental variables also contribute to phenotypic outcomes and understanding their interaction with direct genetic predictions will provide a framework with which to model how plasticity and genetic changes ultimately combine to drive adaptation and evolution.

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Mapping human mobility during the third and second millennia BC in present-day Denmark

Cited by 48 publications

References 54 publications

Old bones or early graves? Megalithic burial sequences in southern Sweden based on 14C datings

Old bones or early graves? Megalithic burial sequences in southern Sweden based on 14C datings

Mobility and diet in Prehistoric Denmark: strontium isotope analysis and incremental stable isotope analysis of human remains from the Limfjord area

Predicting skeletal stature using ancient DNA

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